


Pieces: You Are (NOT) On Your Own

by thesolaralchemist



Series: Pieces [1]
Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-03-17 12:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3529493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesolaralchemist/pseuds/thesolaralchemist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinji Ikari is an abnormal high school student who just graduated from middle school.  Ever since Shinji can remember he has been alone.  The high school ambiance can be quite intimidating for an introvert, but as we are going to find out, no one is ever truly on their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dawn of a New Day

A new day dawned, the sun rising over Tokyo. The date is April 8th, 2015, the first day of the school year. Shinji rises out of his bed, looking over the room, analytically. The house is empty. There is no sign of his father. Shinji sighs, and hangs his legs over the side of his bed.   
"He stayed over again..."

Shinji sat on the bed for a minute or so, and reluctantly stood so he could get ready for school. Shinji's house is a regular Japanese home. It wasn't a big house, but it was better than living on the street. Shinji makes his breakfast, frozen waffles, and he heads out the door, off to face his first day of school.

The morning bell rings, and the hallways of the once empty school are now aflood with hundreds of teenagers. Shinji keeps to himself, and proceeds to walk to his first class of the day, First-Year Japanese history, taught by Mr. Soto Makashi.

"Alright, class, settle down. I would like to personally welcome you all to First-Year Japanese History." The teacher gave a long, drawn out speech. Shinji paid no attention to the teacher's speech, too busy being lost in his own thoughts. 

'Why am I always alone? Why do I have to face this day all by myself?' These thoughts, and many like them, raced through his head. The depressing questions were just popping up in his mind like bubbles pop up at a child's birthday party. 

The day drug on, and Shinji interacted with no one.

At lunch he sat by himself, blending into the shadows of a table in a corner of the lunch room. No one talked to Shinji. No one wanted to talk to Shinji. 

The end of the day was drawing closer, and he was overwhelmed with a sense of relief that he could go home. Maybe he was there. The thought of his father being home made Shinji somewhat happy. Which was a lot happier than what he had been for most of the day. For as long as he could remember, Shinji had just wanted the praise and attention of his father. He didn't even need those things, really, he would have been happy to just know his father loved him, that he wasn't some kind of burden.

The thought that maybe his father had returned home, and was waiting for him, made the remainder of the day seem to drag on for an eternity. He was constantly looking towards the clock. Tick, tick, tick. The sound was music to his ears. For every tick, another second passed by, and another second closer he grew to maybe seeing his father. 

His last period was taught by Ms. Misato Katsuragi. The subject taught was Family Dynamics.

"Ikari Shinji!", Misato said with a gruff voice. Shinji jerked his head from the window he'd been staring out of to look at an aggravated Misato. "Pay attention in my classroom, Ikari. No more daydreaming." Shinji receded into his chair, muttering an embarrassed "Y-yes m'am." Even though he tried to pay attention to Misato as hard as he could, his mind wouldn't allow it. Misato noticed this, and, once she'd passed out some worksheets that asked the students about themselves, sat at her desk with an exasperated sigh. 'What am I going to do with that boy..?', Misato wondered as she looked at the teen, who was currently lost in thought. 

She knew the situation with his father, and how Shinji felt about it. In fact, Misato had gone to his house plenty of times and cooked for Shinji because his father was so often absent. She felt bad for him, but during school hours she couldn't treat him the same as she did during those visits. The bell rang. "Alright, class.", Misato said, as the children excitedly prepared to leave the room. "Don't forget to turn in those worksheets on the way out!"

Shinji stood up, and grabbed his stuff. He pulled his earbuds out of his pocket. He then reached into his backpack to retrieve his SD player. Shinji connected the earbuds to the SD player, and placed an earbud into each ear. He hit play on the SD player, and soon all noise around him had been drowned out.

Shinji walked the streets of Tokyo, his SD player still doing its job of drowning out all foreign sounds. The SD player had actually been his father's at one time, but it had been given to him by the previous owner many years ago. His facial expression was blank; his posture was nothing special. Again no one spoke, or even tried to speak, to Shinji. 

He walked and walked and walked, and finally, his house could be seen in the distance. Shinji's pace quickened. Within no time, the fifteen-year-old was standing in front of the door to his house. He reached for the doorknob, and hesitated. Why was he hesitating? He had been waiting all day to get home. "What if he's not here...?" Shinji said in a low, barely audible tone.

Along with a sigh, came the opening of the door. Shinji scanned the house from the doorway. Silence. No one was there. 'Maybe he's in his room.', he thought hopefully. He stepped into his house, and placed his school supplies on the table . He then adventured further into the house in search of his father. 

No one was there. The house was just as empty as he was. He felt like a levee, his eyes holding back the roaring rapids. 

He checked the pantry for some food, and all that awaited him was instant ramen. His dad hadn't been home in weeks, and the food had yet to be restocked. "Why does he hate me..? What did I do to deserve this?", Shinji wondered aloud as he stared at the tile just outside the pantry. 

He prepared the ramen, and ate it, alone. He was still stuck in the depressing fog he felt as if he'd been in for as long as he could remember. The thought of the loneliness and emptiness made him feel as if he was being brought to the brink of what he could take without going mad. He felt as if his mental state was being corroded with every passing second alone. 

In order to put these thoughts out of his mind, Shinji grabbed his backpack and began to do his homework. Hours passed, and Shinji finally finished the assignments that had been given to him throughout the day. His father had yet to return. "Dammit!", he said, slamming his fists onto the table, causing his pencil to roll off of it. 

It was now 9:04. The sun had set, and the hour was late.

Shinji walked to his room, sat on his bed, and let his legs dangle over the side. It was now that he let the thoughts, which he had before avoided, run rampant. "I guess I'm just worthless. That's why he isn't here. I'm not worth being around.", he concluded in a quiet voice. 

He looked up at his ceiling with a sigh. "I should just go to sleep.", he said, gazing up at the rough surface. With that, he crawled under his blanket, and shut his eyes, laying in darkness until sleep finally took him.

The house was still empty, and the night passed on, ending the day.

End.


	2. Well, there's this kid at school...

Pieces: You Are (NOT) On Your Own  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Chapter 2: Well, there's this kid at school...  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Shinji Ikari started the day as he started every day for the past week: He woke up, got out of bed, showered, got dressed in his uniform, made breakfast (which was some toast with jam on it for any that may be wondering), and left for school. To be honest, the week hadn't been all that different from every other year of his academic career, but, for some reason, it bothered him that his week had been so monotonous.  
It wasn't just his mornings, either, his actual time at school was also a sludge of sameness that he found himself resenting. It was as if he had, for some reason, thought that high school would offer a sort of change in how he spent his days. That was kind of sad considering what mediocre idea that is to buy into, but, then again, if you asked Shinji, he was a pretty mediocre person.  
Anyway, he rode the train to school as he did every morning. To most, the train would have been a place of constant movement and noise due to the large number of people crammed into such a confined area, but, thanks to his SD player, Shinji found the train to be a solitary place that felt no different from any other place he found himself in. Once it came to the right stop, Shinji, along with the many, many other high school students riding the train, exited the metal tube.   
Once he reached the surface, the smell of city and a blue sky greeted him along with the thrum of life that was the hustle and bustle of Tokyo city. Shinji didn't pay any attention to any of it, though, instead focusing on getting to school. If you're hoping that I'm going to tell you what sort of depressing inner reflection he was having during all this, then I am sorry to tell you that there was nothing going on in his head save for what was needed to focus on his music and walk to his desired location.   
He made it to said location without any issue, taking his ear phones out and putting his SD player away before entering the building. It was now that the sound of his peers filled his ears, making him feel queasy and miss the ache of being alone. He heard giggling, fragments of several stories people were telling their friends, gossip being passed around, and the soliloquies of those that worried aloud about doing well on upcoming assignments.   
The class room was a perfect mirror of the atmosphere of the hallway. People were either talking, complaining, or acting like total idiots. Shinji, on the other hand, made his way to his desk, setting his things down next to it. His eyes drifted exactly two desks behind and three to the right of his. Sure enough, she was there.   
She had a strange appearance to say the least. Her hair was a very messy blob of blue, yes blue, hair, and her eyes were red as apples. Her skin was incredibly pale, almost like porcelain. She had a very small, thin frame to her. Her face, which was all soft and gentle, always had a sort of disinterested look, and her eyes were always staring out at the window next to her desk.   
He always ended up looking at her in the mornings before class. It wasn't as if it were a conscious decision, he just always seemed to find his eyes drifting back to her whenever he let his mind wander. To be honest, he desperately wanted to talk to her. It wasn't because of the fact that she was pretty, though that was a plus to be sure, but it was more because of the way she always looked that made him think she felt like he did: Alone. He couldn't do it, though. What if she was actually nothing like him? What if he was just unlikable no matter how nice or polite he was? How would he even approach her without seeming like a complete creep? "I've been staring at you from afar for the past week.", didn't exactly sound like the greatest of ice breakers.  
And so it was that Shinji found himself lost in thought over the strange girl. If he hadn't been doing this, then, perhaps the dominoes wouldn't have started to fall.  
You see, it was a little after Shinji arrived that Toji Suzuhara entered the classroom. Toji was a freshman, same as Shinji. He had short, black hair, and he wore a sort of jacket and pants combo instead of his uniform. He looked like he was about to go for a jog instead of going to school. You could also tell just by looking at the way he carried himself that he was what you'd call a jock.  
Toji's arrival garnered the attention of one Kensuke Aida. If I were to tell you that Kensuke and Toji were best friends, you wouldn't believe me due to the fact that Kensuke was Toji's polar opposite. He had baggy brown hair, and a freckled face. His dark green eyes were covered by large glasses. He wore his school uniform with the button-up shirt open so that you could see that he wore a red t-shirt underneath. He was obviously what you'd call a nerd, and the fact that he was holding a video camera which looked to be from the 90's, which he had been fiddling with before Toji's arrival, only further drove the point home.  
"Toji! Where the heck have you been? I know you hate school, but missing the first week is a little 'bit much, don't you think?"  
"Well, it's not like I chose to miss for fun, or anything. Y'see....Sakura's in the hospital again, and Mom and Dad were too busy to sit with her. I would've preferred being stuck here over having to sit in that hospital and eat bad food, but if I hadn't...she would've been all alone."  
"Oh...I'm sorry, dude."  
"Yeah, well, don't sweat it. My folks finally have time to be with her, so I can come to school, and it's not like anything can be done about her gettin' sick again."  
"Yeah..."  
Toji's eyes wandered to Shinji at this point.  
"Who's the new guy?"  
"I dunno, I've never seen him before. I guess he didn't go to the same middle school we did."  
"You talked to him yet, or have you been more interested in that dumb camera?"  
"I've not, but he doesn't really seem like the sorta guy who really wants to talk to anyone. And at least my camera isn't as dumb as dribbling some ball back and fourth for hours on end."  
"Pfft, shut up. Yo, new comer!"  
And now we have reached the point of the story we were at earlier with Shinji being too concerned with thinking about his crush to notice Toji's attempt to garner his attention. This earned a look of frustrated confusion from the jock. "The hell's his deal? I know he heard me. If he doesn't wanna talk, then he could just say so. No reason to be a stuck up jerk."  
A few moments later, class began in proper. After the class rep, one Hikri Horaki, had everyone stand and bow, the teacher passed out some sheets for everyone to do. Toji's desk was different from everyone else's. Instead of having two or three worksheets placed on his desk like everyone else, he had a whole stack due to the fact that he missed the first week of school. He looked down at the papers with a look of total confusion. He'd not gone over any of this, and there was no way he had time to review and get it all done in class. He couldn't take it home either because he had to go see Sakura after school, and he didn't want to spend the time he had with his sick sister doing school work.  
"Psst, Kensuke, you gotta help me with this crap, man!"  
"Sorry, but I'm not the best at memorizing all of this history stuff that's not involved with war. Why don't you ask the new guy? He always turns his papers in before most of the class so he's got to be good at this stuff."  
Toji turned, and looked at Shinji, who was working diligently on the worksheet. Kensuke was obviously right about this guy taking his classwork seriously. This could be both a way to be sure he got done with his work, and a second chance to try to get to know him.  
"Psst, new kid! Hey, could you help out with this make up work?"  
Unfortunately for Toji, Shinji was too focused on his work to notice the jock's attempts at garnering his attention. And unfortunately for Shinji, Toji was now certain that he thought he was too good to talk to Toji. "He probably thinks he's smarter, too!" Toji gritted his teeth slightly at this thought. He hated nothing else than being made to feel stupid. Well, he hated the fact that he was obviously going to have to do schoolwork during his visit with Sakura more, but that sort of situation didn't come up very often so it wasn't included on the list of things he hated.  
The rest of the day progressed normally for Shinji with him having to avoid the clusters of people in the hallways as he made his way to class, and along with focusing intently on the lesson. That is, it was normal until he got to fifth period Biology.  
You see, Shinji happened to also share this class with Toji. He'd been pretty pissed over the way Shinji had seemingly just brushed him off since that morning, so when he saw that Shinji was about to walk past Toji's desk to get to his, he stuck his foot directly in Shinji's path. This led to Shinji tripping, and looking like a total idiot. The class seemed to find this as funny as Toji did, but they probably didn't have as much animosity behind their laughing.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, new kid, I didn't see ya' there. I must've had my head shoved too far up my own ass to give a damn about anyone around me."  
"What?"  
"Don't gimme th-"  
Toji was cut off, though, when the teacher entered the room after the bell rang. He had to settle for giving a confused Shinji a hateful glare. Shinji got to his desk just as the teacher began their lesson for that day. He didn't pay attention to what the teacher was saying, though, as he was currently trying to figure out why that guy he'd never seen before had been total dick to him.   
He knew that there were jerks in school that enjoyed being mean to others for no real reason, but Shinji couldn't figure out why that guy picked him out to trip like that. No one picked Shinji out for anything. He was just...skippable like that. Then there was that weird stuff he'd said about not noticing others around him. The way he'd said it kinda sounded like he was referring to something Shinji had done in the past, but Shinji was pretty certain that he hadn't been stuck up when that guy wanted his attention due to the fact that he'd never seen him before.  
Shinji was pulled from his reverie when the lunch bell rang, so he ceased his attempts at deducing why he'd been tripped, and made his way down to the cafeteria.   
Obviously since they were in the same class as our depressed protagonist, Toji and Kensuke also made their way to the cafeteria. Unfortunately for Toji, his friend didn't exactly approve of the way Shinji had been treated.  
"Thank God for lunch! Seriously, I thought I was gonna starve back there!"  
"You were strong enough to trip the new kid."  
"...."  
" Seriously, Toji, what the heck was up with that? You've never been the sort of guy to pick on people like that. You were the one of the only people who didn't laugh at me in middle school, so why're you giving him hell?"  
"This is different from the way those jerks were treating you back then, Kensuke. I don't have anything against him just because he's not like me. It's because he thinks he's better than me. He just ignored me when I needed help because of that, and now I'm gonna spend my time with Sakura working on all that homework."  
"That still doesn't make it ri-"  
"Just drop it, man."  
The lunch they were having that day wasn't very appetizing, which makes sense because it was a school lunch. If it were up to him, Shinji would just make his own lunches at home because he was actually pretty skilled in the culinary arts. Unfortunately for Shinji and his taste buds, his father hadn't been home for the past week and a half to buy anything to cook with, so he had no choice but to endure the horrors of the lunch room.  
Thus Shinji was forced to stand in line while he waited to pay money for food that would make him gag. It really wouldn't have been worth mentioning, seeing as he was just idly standing, but it was at this point that he encountered Toji again. And by encountered, I mean that Toji just totally cut ahead of him in line. For reasons he didn't quite understand, the fact that someone had stopped him from getting to the awful food as soon as possible upset Shinji.  
"Hey! You can't just cut ahead of me, I was here first."  
"Well maybe if you weren't such an apathetic snob I'd have a reason to care about your situation."  
"What the heck are you talking about?"  
"Don't play dumb with me! I asked for your help in class this morning, and you just ignored me like an asshole!"  
"What?! I never even heard you ask for anything!"  
"Don't gimme that because there's no way you didn't hear me when I sit two desks behind you, man!"  
"Uh, guys, I think you should stop arguing so you're not holding up the line. The people behind us are looking kinda mad."  
Upon hearing the bespectacled teen's words, both Toji and Shinji turned to see that there were quite a few people stuck behind them because the two of them had yet to move forward in the line. Both laughed nervously before moving ahead.   
The rest of the day proceeded normally enough save for the occasional glare exchanged between Shinji and Toji whenever the two looked at one another.   
Shinji left school, music drowning out any and all noise around him, and made his way back to his house. He took the train home, not really wanting to walk that day. The ride was as solemn for the youth as it had been that morning. Unlike his first day going home, Shinji was now smart enough to realize that his father wouldn't be there when he got home.  
Toji, on the other hand, hailed a cab to take him to the hospital. The teen spent most of said cab ride resting his head against the window, and watching the city's landscape pass by. He couldn't stop thinking about how the whole time he'd be too busy to really give Sakura any attention. He was actually almost hoping she'd be asleep when he got there. He let out an aggravated sigh, and adjusted so that he was sitting in the seat properly. Goddamn that kid! If it wasn't for him, Toji could talk with Sakura or read her a story or play games with her.   
He wasn't able to stew in his rage for too long, though, as they soon arrived at the hospital. He paid the cabbie, and made his way into the white building. The lobby had nice tiling, many chairs, and large windows to let in plenty of sunlight. It would have been nice had he not had to see it everyday for the past week, and if the antiseptic smell that every part of the building reeked of greeted his nostrils every time he entered the room.   
He made his way to the elevator, and, on the ride up, tried to think of a way that he'd be able to focus on his studies whilst also giving Sakura his attention. A ding rang out, letting him know he'd reached his stop. He exited the elevator, and made his way down the long, white hallway that led to his sister's room. He waved to the women at the nurse's station, who probably knew him by name at this point.  
Sakura greeted him with an enthusiastic "Brother!" when he entered. Well, it was as enthusiastic as a little girl with an illness serious enough to land her in the hospital could be. On the matter of Sakura, she was very, very small, and she had short brown hair. She had skin that was much, much paler than her brothers, and her tiny eyes were a bright blue   
"Yo, squirt."  
"Daddy and Momma told me to tell you to be home by nine tonight."  
"I'll be sure to do that then. Last thing I need right now is to have to deal with one of Dad's speeches about how hard he and Mom work only to have me ignore 'em."  
"Brother, are you okay?"  
"Yeah, Sakura, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"  
"You just look sad..."  
"Nah, I just don't wanna do all this homework my lame teachers loaded me down with."  
"Oh...Hey, Brother, when you get finished, can we watch cartoons together?"  
"Sure, kid."  
He pulled a chair up to her bedside, and set his backpack down before digging into to it so he could get started on his homework. He was working diligently, checking for answers in his textbook before answering them on the sheet, when the door opened up. He immediately looked up to see who their visitor was.  
The familiar form of Doctor Gendo Ikari had entered the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. On the matter of the doctor's form, he was a seemingly well built man in his early forties with short, dark brown hair and a scruffy beard. He wore glasses and a lab coat, his outfit underneath the aforementioned lab coat being read sweater and black pants. In his right hand he carried a clip board.  
He wasn't Sakura's actual doctor, in fact he was the hospital's chief of medicine, but he always stopped by to check on the little girl. He seemed like a serious guy, but he was always very kind to Sakura. Toji had to admit that he had grown to really like the doctor.   
"Yo, doc! Good to see you."  
"It is good to see you as well, Toji. Your sister is lucky to have an older brother so ready to stay by her side. Though, judging by your textbook and work sheets, I'd say that you've finally rejoined your classmates at school."  
"Heh, yeah, they finally found me, and drug me back with all the other kids."  
"Well, I'm glad that your duties as a brother aren't interfering with your schooling. Now, Sakura, I trust that Doctor Akagi has made sure that you get chocolate milk with your lunches along with a pudding cup."  
"Yes, sir, she's been really nice. She said she was gonna make sure that I got better real soon so I could start school with all my friends again."  
"You should be back in no time because I have complete trust in her skills."  
Gendo picked up the clipboard on the foot of Sakura's bed, and looked at it for a moment before returning to its original location.  
"I have to be going now, but I want you to promise me that you'll do your best to get well, Sakura."  
"Okay, I promise."  
"I'll be trusting you to make sure she keeps that promise, Toji."  
"You can count on me, doc."  
Toji found that he had a smile on is face as the doctor left. He always felt better after Doctor Ikari had stopped by. He always seemed optimistic, and, due to the fact that he was clearly a very serious man, it never felt like his optimism was unrealistic. The positive feeling gave Toji the motivation and determination to finish his homework as fast as he could, and managed to give Sakura an hour and a half of his undivided attention.  
The rest of the school week was not pleasant for either Shinji or Toji. Shinji had to deal with Toji apparently hating him because Shinji hadn't heard Toji trying to garner his attention on one occasion, and Toji had to deal with Kensuke constantly nagging him about the fact that he was being mean to Shinji. Thankfully, the weekend came in as the pure and loving savior that all students knew it to be, and gave the two a time-out from their conflict.  
On the second Saturday of the school year, Shinji found himself where he always found himself when he wasn't at school: Home. Whereas most children would have spent time calling friends or with their parents, Shinji spent his time either watching his Ultraman dvds or listening to his SD player. Both were good at distracting him from his father's absence, which was important because it was on the weekends that he had to be alone in his home all day as opposed to only having to bear it for a few hours during the week.   
He was actually watching Ultraman Returns when he heard a knock at the door. Shinji paused the movie, and went to see who it was paying him a visit, though a feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that he already knew good and damn well who was waiting for him behind that door.  
Waiting for him was none other than Misato Katsuragi and her boyfriend Ryoji Kaji. Misato was wearing a much more casual outfit than what she wore when working, the former consisting of a blue jean jacket, black-and-white striped shirt, and a red skirt. Around her neck, a familar cross necklace dangled. She had a big smile on her face, and was holding a bag of take-out.  
Her boyfriend Kaji was only a little further into his thirties than Misato. He had long, shaggy black hair that he wore in simple ponytail. His chin was covered in stubble, and he wore a blue button up shirt/tie combo along with black Khakis. His tie was tied very loosely around his neck, and his sleeves were unbuttoned. All of this combined with the man's easy going expression gave the impression that he was a very laid back person.   
Misato had entered Shinji's life when he was eight-years-old, and his father had been in need of someone to take care of the boy while he worked. She happened to be the one that answered the call, having been looking for the spending money all college students crave. Misato wasn't like other babysitters Shinji'd had. She actually cared about and liked Shinji for what kind of kid he was. She had conversations with him, played with him for hours, and would make meals for him, even if they were instant ones.   
Eventually, Gendo decided that Shinji was capable of watching over himself, and stopped paying Misato. However, this did nothing to stop her from coming to make sure someone was there to care for him. She was no longer over there every single day, but she usually stopped by two or three times a week.   
A little after she started coming over just to make sure Shinji was okay, and because she wanted to see him, she started bringing her boyfriend Kaji over. Shinji immediately liked the scruffy man who seemed totally relaxed and confident about anything and everything that went on around him. It was even more impresive he seemed so mellow considering his being an investigative journalist, an obviously stressful job. Shinji had grown to really admire him over the years.  
"Hey, Shinji, me and Kaji ordered a little too much take-out, and we thought that maybe you'd want some."  
"Y'know, Misato, I'd appreciate these visits more if you didn't always bring that greasy stuff. Too much of that junk makes my stomach upset."  
Misato's expression quickly shifted from a happy one to an offended one, and she roughly grabbed the top of Shinji's head.  
"Are you being picky?!"  
"N-No, ma'am."  
And just like that she seemed happy as could be to see the boy.  
"Good. Now why don't you go set the table so we can all eat, hmm?"  
"Yes, ma'am."  
Kaji smirked at the exchange.  
"Smart kid, learns from his mistakes."  
Soon the three of them were all at the dinner table, plates, cutlery, and drinks having been set out by Shinji. Well, he didn't set a drink out for Misato because she had brought beer as she always did, and Kaji was her designated driver just as he always was. She took a long chug from the aforementioned beverage, and let out a satisfied sigh.  
"This is what makes it all worth it, I tell ya! Nothin' better than a dinner with my two favorite boys, and a ice cold beer."  
"I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating that, if you keep drinking that stuff, you're going to get a beer gut, Misato."  
"Ah, shut up, you're just don't know how to have fun."  
"I would hope he doesn't know how to have that kind of fun yet since he's fifteen."  
"You shut up too!"  
A momentary silence filled the room as the three of them started eating. It was quickly ended by Misato, who had no issue with talking with a full mouth of food.  
"So, Shinji, how's school been treating you?"  
"Isn't that kind of a silly question to ask? I mean, no offense, but you are one of my teachers, Misato."  
"That may be true, Shinji, but you've got to remember that Misato doesn't see the school from the angle that you do. She's got no more of an idea of what your day consists of when it comes to people you talk to, or classes you like than I do."  
"Yeah, so spill the beans."  
"Well...there's this guy at school that's been a jerk to me lately. He says that I ignored him or something, but I never did anything like that. I tried telling him that, but he won't believe me..."  
"Who is!? Tell me his name, and I'll make sure he has so much homework he'll need to start lifting weights to be able to carry it all! No one bullies my Shinji like that!"  
"You really don't have to do that, Misato. I just wish I knew what to do to make him stop. And I don't know his name. I just know he doesn't like me."  
"I'll tell you what to do: The next time he gives you crap, punch him square in the nose! He won't mess with you after that, and no other little snots will either.  
"Uh..I don't really want to do that exactly."  
"I agree with Shinji, fighting him over this isn't the right answer. Have you tried reasoning with him? Perhaps you could apologize for it."  
"But I didn't ignore him!"  
"And I believe you, but that would allow for the animosity between you two to fade. Then you could try getting to know him, and he would realize that you didn't ignore him just by knowing who you actually are. It's remarkable how empathetic people are when there isn't a wall of bad feelings preventing them from viewing one another fully."  
"Maybe..."  
"I agree with Kaji. If you get to know him, he'll see what a sweet boy you are, and realize that you wouldn't ignore him on purpose. I'm still gonna give him loads of homework whenever you find out his name, though."  
The rest of the evening proceeded as they usually did, with the three talking until it was rather late. By talking I mean that Misato grew increasingly more intoxicated whilst telling stories with Kaji and Shinji commenting on the stories. While Kaji went to start the car, Misato looked at Shinji. While she reeked of beer, he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't about to tell him something funny or say something embarrasing.   
"Shinji, I really do think that kid won't be mad at you if he gets to know you. You're a good boy, Shinji, the kind that make people feel cared about." She then pulled the boy into a hug. Shinji hated the smell of beer, but returned the hug, enjoying the physical affection he rarely got from anyone that wasn't Misato. "I'll see you in class on Monday." She pulled away, and departed with a walk that was just a teensy 'bit wobbily.  
Toji also had company that evening, but his wasn't as unexpected. When his parents had told him that they would sit with Sakura so he could enjoy his first weekend actually at the apartment he called home, Toji immediately called Kensuke to see if he wanted to come over. Of course, the nerd was able to come over, and that evening the two were playing video games in Toji's room on the jock's bed.  
"So, you decide to stop being mean to the new kid yet?"  
"Listen, Kensuke, I didn't invite you over here so you could nag me about that guy some more, I called you over here so we could play some video games. Now, give me some cover fire, these angels are about to slaughter me."  
"You can't just keep ignoring what I'm saying! There's no good reason for you to be giving that guy so much crap. He even said that he didn't ignore you, Toji!"  
At this point, Toji paused the game to turn and face his friend.  
"I know that he's just saying that so I look like some kind of jerk when he's the one who wouldn't help someone out that'd been absent all week from school. There's no way he didn't hear me, and the fact that he just keeps saying that he didn't just pisses me off more."  
"Toji..."  
"Look, if he actually apologized for it, I'd have no problem lettin' the guy off the hook, but since he's just gonna act like he ain't done nothin' wrong, then I'm not gonna just let him go when he was such a stuck up jerk to me."  
"...."  
"Now, can we get back to actually having some fun?"  
"Sure, man, whatever."  
When Monday finally rolled around, Shinji didn't feel too peppy at all. He'd felt nervous about the whole idea of approaching the guy all Sunday, and he felt no better about it now that he was actually at school. Shinji was thankful that the other boy had arrived before him because that meant he could just spend the period focusing on his school work. By that I mean that he could finish his school work, and let his eyes drift over to his crush.  
Toji Suzuhara enjoyed his third period class. A lot. This was because he had a deep rooted love for basketball, and due to his third period being gym, he was able to spend most of it shooting hoops. Usually, he and Kensuke talked while he did this, and they were doing precisely that today. In fact, they were talking about the odds of Kensuke ever getting to direct a war film when the situation that made this part of their day worth focusing on arose. By that I mean that Eiji Akio showed up.  
Eiji was an athlete, like Toji, though he was nowhere near as pleasant as Toji. He tended to get mad easily, and found it humorous to pick on others. In fact, he had been one of the boys that picked on Kensuke when the three had been in middle school. Toji had been on the verge of shooting, Kensuke sitting with camera in hand, when the other boy walked up.  
"What do you want, Eiji?"  
"Why you gotta be like that, Suzuhara? Can't a guy just come up to start a conversation without a gettin' a greeting like that."  
"The fact that you did nothing but give Kensuke and me crap for three years is why you get greeted like that. Now tell me what you want, or beat it."  
"Geez, never knew you were the type to hold a grudge like that, Suzuhara. But I was hopin' you and I could play a game of basket ball since you're so adamant about me telling you why I came over here."  
"...Y'know what, sure. We play 'till one of us scores twenty points, five points per basket."  
"Alright, alright, but can you tell me why you're little freak of a friend is pointin' his dumb camera at us?"  
"'Cause I want to get my friend beating your butt on film."  
Eiji just gave an aggravated sigh in response before focusing on the task at hand of beating Toji in a game of basketball. Unfortunately for Eiji, he would not accomplish this task as Toji ended up beating him 20 to 10. Toji offered his hand, and said "Good game." despite the fact that he really hated Eiji. Eiji apparently didn't share Toji's dedication to sportsmanship as he just knocked the hand away, and walked off in a huff. "What a jerk...", Kensuke commented as the teen walked off.  
The day proceeded normally enough, Toji cutting his eyes at Shinji while Kensuke watched disapprovingly. The rest of the day's events didn't become noteworthy until Toji and Kensuke were leaving school. Kensuke's home was on the way to the hospital, and Toji felt like spending some extra time with his friend so he decided to walk with him. They were walking away from the entrance when they heard a certain loser's voice call out to them.  
"Yo, Suzuhara!"  
"What do you want, Eiji?"  
"I was watchin' you and your boyfriend walk home, and I couldn't help but notice that his camera looked a little out of date."  
Eiji made a quick grab for the camera currently in Kensuke's hand, Toji being only barely too slow to stop him from taking the camera. Once he got his hands on it, Eiji quickly went about throwing it on the ground. This made a loud smashing sound against the sidewalk's pavement, and there were several visible cracks in the device once it hit the ground.  
"You sonuvabitch!"  
"My camera!"  
And just like that, the three of them were fighting. Two on one usually would have been very good odds, but Kensuke wasn't exactly the best fighter nor was he hard to hit. This brings us back to Shinji, who had been exiting the high school when he saw all of this was happening. He'd actually been feeling like a coward about not talking to Toji when he saw what was happening. It didn't take long for him to tell what was going on given the damaged camera on the ground. He'd seen Kensuke with the camera several times, and he knew that Toji and Kensuke were friends so he knew that Toji was defending his friend.  
Without having to even think about it, Shinji found himself charging into the fray. His fist impacted against Eiji's face hard, and knocked the other youth back a few steps. Eiji looked at the three with hateful eyes. He looked at Toji, Kensuke, and Shinji standing there, looking ready to resume things in a heart beat, and decided to leave with an inappropriate hand gesture.  
Once Eiji was gone, the three boys looked at each other.  
"I hope you guys are okay, that guy looked pretty tough."  
"Don't sweat it, I've been in way worse fights than that."  
"Well, I'm sorry he broke your camera."  
"It's fine, I think I might actually be able to fix it with a little elbow grease."  
At this point, a somewhat uncomfortable silence formed around the three teenagers. Shinji and Toji both having a sort of remorseful look in their eyes.  
"Listen, I'm really sorry about ignoring you. I really didn't hear you, and I'll help you out with anything you want whenever you need the help."  
"No, man, you don't have to apologize. I should've believed you when you said you didn't hear me ask for your help. If you're the kinda guy that would step into a fight to help someone who'd been a jerk to you out, then you clearly ain't the sort of person to ignore someone that needed help."  
At hearing that, Shinji couldn't help but hear Kaji's words about his actions proving his worth echo in his head. He didn't focus on them long, though, as he noticed Toji was holding his hand out to shake.  
"By the way, I'm Toji. Toji Suzuhara."  
"Yeah, and I'm Kensuke Aida."  
Shinji smiled, and shook Toji's hand.  
"I'm Shinji Ikari."  
Toji's eyes widened upon hearing Shinji's surname. He was the son of Doctor Ikari from the hospital! He'd spent all week being a jerk to the son of guy who'd been the nicest to Sakura since she'd got back in the hospital! Suddenly, Toji felt even worse than he had before. He quickly resolved to start fixing things.  
"Listen, Shinji, me and four eyes over here are gonna hang out over at my house this weekend. You wanna come and hang out with us?"  
Shinji was shocked to say the least. No one had ever tried to have him over like this. No one had ever really tried to be his friend either. He was actually at a loss for words for a few moments, but quickly remembered how to use his mouth again.  
"Yeah, I'd really like that."  
And so, Shinji Ikari found that being himself didn't mean that whoever he talked to would reject him. He finally saw that some people might actually like who he is.  
End.


	3. Chapter 3: Father...?

Pieces: You Are (NOT) On Your Own  
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Chapter 3: Father...?  
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A week and half had passed since the incident between Toji and Eiji. Today after school Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke were going to hang out at Shinji's house. Shinji had never had friends before, nor had he even had anyone over at his house save for Misato, Kaji and his father.

The teen rose from his bed, quickly put on his clothes, and ate breakfast. This was a new side to Shinji; one he never knew he had.

It felt good. This feeling was alien to Shinji, but, no matter how foreign it felt, he liked it. Shinji treasured every moment that this feeling coursed through his veins, wishing that it would last forever.

Aside from hanging out after school with his new friends, Shinji was also ready to face the day because he felt as if he had the courage to talk to the girl that sat in his first and seventh period. "Maybe... Maybe I'll be able to try and become friends with Rei." ,he thought.

Rei Ayanami. Misato had told him her name when she'd eyed him staring at her a few days ago. She was a quiet, shy person that Shinji had been wanting to talk to ever since school started. He always got a little happy when he thought about her. She always looked so alone. She looked like him.

The thought of knowing that someone else had experienced the same feeling as Shinji had somewhat comforted him. Not because someone else was sad, but because someone else knew how it felt. To be alone. To be unwanted. To wonder if they would ever be wanted. Shinji knew how this felt, and he resolved to make Rei feel wanted. He wanted her to know that there was someone else who felt this way. 

Now, with this newly birthed confidence, he felt as if he should try and give Rei the same feeling that Toji and Kensuke gave him. Friendship. Shinji felt as if his confidence were a sword, and the loneliness that blanketed Rei was a dragon. His resolve to actually connect with another human being surprised himself. It was in this moment, he vowed that he would not let Rei continue to be plagued by the loneliness that he himself had faced for so long.

As these thoughts and feelings raced through his head like horses at the track, he had gotten ready for school, made his way to the sation, and boarded the train which carried him off on his way to school.

Shinji looked out the window of the train, and gazed at the city. He never knew how beautiful Tokyo was. Normally he'd be staring at the floor, listening to the SD player that his father had given him. As his eyes admired the scenery, the train was coming to a stop. People flooded out of the train, and onto the platform. Shinji walked out of the train, and met up with Suzuhara and Aida.

"Yo! Shinji!" Suzuhara yelled at the teen that stepped out of the train. "Are you ready for after school?"

Shinji smiled at Toji's words. "Y-yeah... I'm still a little nervous about it, though. I've never had friends before. Let alone someone come over to my house." Kensuke looked at Shinji. "You've never had friends? How come? You're a pretty cool guy, Shinji. Not to mention nice. You should have tons of friends!" Kensuke said, surprised. "Yeah, well…" Shinji looked down, and his face morphed from a smile to a frown. "Anyway, let's go, guys! We don't want to be late for class!"

The three ran to school as it wasn't that far from the train station. Maybe about a 3 minute walk or so. But, while they ran, Shinji's mind didn't focus on his father, friends, or school, no his thoughts were focused on Rei. But why? Why were his thoughts all about Rei? He didn't even know her, save for the fact that they maybe shared personality traits.

First class: Shinji sat down in his desk, and stared at the board. "I can't keep staring at her. She'll think I'm a creep!" He thought. But he couldn't help himself. He turned around slightly, only to be met by Suzuhara's daunting eyes. "So, Shinji. You like lil' ol' Ayanami over there, huh?" He said. It was rather loud, and Shinji's face flushed. "N-No! I don't like her!" Shinji yelled in a whisper.

"Come on, Toji, calm down. It's not like he taunts you about liking class rep." Toji's face turned to Kensuke. "SH-SHUT UP, AIDA!" He yelled, as his face flushed as well. "Suzuhara. Sit down and be quiet, or you'll be visiting the principal!" the teacher snapped at Toji. "Yes, sir." He sat down in his seat and faced forward, glancing occasionally at Shinji to give him a look that screamed, "You like Ayanami, don't you, Shinji?"

Lunch period: "Maybe I shouldn't talk to Ayanami... Maybe I only want to talk to her because I like her…" Shinji thought. "Is that why I want to help her? Because if I do: she might like me back? I'm just selfish. I knew having friends would do this to me...I knew that this was a bad thing...It just made me selfish... hate myself…" Shinji felt like crying, but no matter how much he wanted to cry, he just knew that Toji would make fun of him for it.

"Hey'a, Shinji!" Kensuke yelled whilst walking up to the table his depressed friend was sitting at. "Y'know, you can always sit next to Toji and me." Kensuke said, looking at his friend. "Y-yeah...I know." Shinji said in a really hushed voice. "I-I think I'll pass." He said after a minute of silence. 

Kensuke looked puzzled. "Well, okay, Shinji. Are we still coming to your house after school?" Kensuke asked. "Yeah…sure. Meet me at the train station." Kensuke nodded, and walked off.

After lunch, the day continued like any other, save for the fact that Shinji had this overwhelming feeling that he only wanted to get to Rei for his own gain. "I can't be doing this… Or can I?" Shinji thought to himself.

The final bell rang, signaling the end of school. Shinji was hoping for the hangout at home to take his mind off of Rei. "As long as Toji doesn’t bring it up," he thought. Shinji walked outside and met his friends by the station. "Hey, Shinji. I'm sorry about earlier. No hard feelings?" Toji said, erecting his arm to give Shinji an apologetic hand-shake. Shinji looked at his friend’s hand, and nodded, taking Toji’s hand into his, giving a friendly shake. “Y-yeah.” Toji smiled, and signaled to board the train and head to Shinji’s house.

The train ride to his house was different from earlier. Instead of admiring the beauty of Tokyo, Shinji looked down at the flooring of the train, and listened to his SD player. Bad habits die hard. Occasionally, he would look up to see Toji and Kensuke joking with each other and laughing, the sound drowned out by the music flooding his ears. 

Kensuke moved and sat by Shinji, and nudged him. Shinji acknowledged his friend, and paused the music and removing an earbud. “Why are you sitting here looking all sad, Shinji? You should be excited! You’re having friends over for the first time.” Kensuke smiled. “Yeah, but it’s…” Shinji thought about telling Kensuke he was thinking about Rei, and that he was embarrassed by Toji. The problem with that was: Shinji had already told Toji there were no hard feelings. “Nothing.” Shinji put on a smile as if it were a mask, hiding his true face. “I’m just nervous is all.” Shinji nodded and assured Kensuke. “I’m sure we’ll have fun watching Ultraman.” Kensuke smiled back at Shinji. “Well, as long as everything is okay, Shinji. I’d hate for you to be upset on such an awesome day!” Kensuke went back and sat with Toji, resuming the shenanigans. 

The train came to a halt at the station close to Shinji’s house. “We’re here!” Suzuhara said, jumping up and walking towards the door. Shinji and Kensuke followed, and stepped on to the platform. They went through security and headed to Shinji’s house for a night of fun.

The three friends enjoyed the walk, Shinji’s mind gradually drifted towards the evening ahead, and all thoughts of Rei seemed to flow out. Eventually they reached the door to Shinji’s house. “Well...We’re here.” Said Shinji. “Excuse me if it’s not the neatest place.” He said as he pulled his key out, and opened the door.

As the door opened, Shinji and noticed that lights were on and there was someone sitting at the table. “Wh-wha—“ Shinji was cut off by the sound of a gruff voice. “So, Shinji. I leave for two weeks, and I see that my house is dirty. Explain yourself.” The man said. “F-father…?” Shinji asked. As the words left his mouth, the man stood up, and revealed that he was Dr. Gendo Ikari. “Dr. Ikari..?” Toji said. “How’s my sister doing?” He asked, worried. Gendo smiled, and looked at Suzuhara. “You’re sister is doing fine, Toji. I trust Dr. Akagi is taking good care of her in my absence. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my son and I have some talking we need to do.” Gendo’s eyes shifted to Kensuke. “Forgive me, but you are?” He asked, directing the question towards Kensuke. “Kensuke Aida, Mr. Ikari!” He said. “Nice to meet you, Kensuke. I’m sure you’re a good kid, but as I said before, my son and I need to have a talk.” Kensuke’s eyes shifted to Toji. “I think we should leave.” Toji said. The two both turned around, and left for Toji’s house. Shinji closed the door, and faced his father.  
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Fuyutsuki looked at Gendo. “Look, Gendo. You haven’t been home in two weeks. I think you need to go home and talk to Shinji. He’s your son. You can’t ignore him forever.” Gendo looked sternly at his colleague. “I will do whatever I please with my son. It is none of your concern.” He said, sounding progressively hostile with each syllable. “It became my concern when Yui died and you started to completely disregard your son. Hell, a teacher came in and practically raised him! We all know that this hospital is your escape from home. But just think: Is this what Yui would have wanted? For you to completely ignore your own so-“ Fuyutsuki was cut off by a rather perturbed Gendo. “Shut up! You know nothing! You act like you know what Yui would have wanted, but you don't! Don’t get involved in my personal life. You are a colleague; nothing more, Fuyutsuki. Focus on your work, and keep to your private matters when you have a spare moment. We have lives to save.” Fuyutsuki laughed. “While you’re here ‘saving lives,’ your son is at home without a mother or father. Do you even comprehend what kind of emotional toll that will take on him?!” Fuyutsuki yelled. “I know I’m not your boss but I damn sure care about Shinji, and you should too. You need to go home and talk to him. He needs you, Gendo. Stop being stubborn, and go home to talk to your son!” 

Gendo stared at Fuyutsuki behind his glasses. “I’ll do it; not because you told me to, but because I need a break from your inistence on telling me how to raise my son.” With that, Gendo stormed out of the room.  
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“Shinji. You need to grow up. You need to find something useful to do. When I have a use for you, I will then come home more. Until then, I will be here only to stock food and pay the bills. I expect a clean house whenever I come home. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Do you understand me?”

Shinji sat in silence, feeling tears prick at his eyes. “Do I make myself clear?” Shinji looked up at his father; his eyes glassed by the tears. “Y-yes sir...” He said. “I will be back in two weeks.” Gendo walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Shinji went to his room, jumped in his bed and cried his eyes out. “I am useless! I’m nothing but a screw up! He doesn’t even want me! I’d be better off dead!” Shinji screamed. Just as he finished, he heard a knock at the door. Shinji disregarded it, knowing the only one with a key was Gendo. No one could get in the house at the moment and see Shinji shriveled up like a raisin, sobbing in his room. “Shinji!” he heard a faint voice yell. “I know you’re in there!” yelled the voice. “M-Misato…?”

Shinji got out of his bed, and walked to the door, wiping his eyes as he opened it. There stood Misato. “Shinj—“ Misato said, cutting off mid-sentence due to the sight of tears in his eyes. She knelt down, and pulled him into an embrace. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” Shinji started bursting into tears. “F-f-father…came home today…” he said, hugging Misato back. Kaji stood there, looking at Misato and Shinji share an embrace. Kaji’s heart felt like it was going to break. He always hated seeing Shinji like this. “And?” Misato said. “He told…he told me that I…” his sentence was broken up due to the sobbing. “That I was…that I was…useless and that…I had to make…make myself useful in order for him to come…come home more of-often…” Misato filled with a rage. “THAT BASTARD! I’LL KILL HIM!” Kaji put his hand on her, “Misato, calm down. I’m just as upset as you are about this, but we can’t go around killing people." Misato stared at Shinji. "Fine, but there's gonna be HELL to pay! No one hurts my little Shinji and gets away with it.” Misato said, sternly. “N-no…Misato...” Shinji said. “Don’t do anything. I’m fine. I’m useless anyway, so I can deal with this.” Misato slapped him. “Shinji…” Misato said in a soft voice. “Who in the hell do you think you are?!” She yelled. “You’re not useless, Shinji! Why do you keep saying that?!” Shinji looked at her, frightened. “I love you, Shinji… You’re not useless. If you were useless do you think that Toji and Kensuke would have wanted to come over to your house today? If you’re useless, why would I come here and take care of you, and buy you food? Because you’re special, Shinji. You are going to do something great in this world, and you can’t keep letting your father put you down like this.”

A tear rolled down Misato’s cheek. “I know I’m not your mother, but I love you very much, Shinji.” She tightened her embrace. “Come on, let’s get you out of this house, and go for a walk or something. You need to get out.” She kissed him on the forehead. “Now wipe your tears, and come on, Shinji.” She stood up, took his hand, and walked out of the house.

Kaji, Misato and Shinji walked around the neighborhood for about 2 hours, talking about the day, and occasionally Kaji would say something philosophical. “Misato-sendei?” Shinji asked. Misato looked at him, “Oh, come on, Shinji. No need to be so formal. We’re not in school. You don’t have to call me Misato-sensei.” She said, making a voice inflection on ‘Sensei’. “Misato? Why do you do this for me?” Shinji asked. “Because, Shinji, I know how you feel. My Dad wasn't exactly the greateset guy either. He spent all of his time at work, and never paid any attention to me. I was alone. I never had friends, and I never spoke to anyone.” Shinji looked down at the concrete and frowned. “O-oh…” He said. “I knew that you were like me from the first time I taught you. You’re a good kid, Shinji. You don’t need to let your father get into your head and make you feel worthless. You’re not. You’re my Shinji, and you’re going to go places.” Misato smiled at him. “Th-thanks, Misato.” Shinji said, giving a genuine smile back. 

Kaji looked at the two enjoying a moment, and said, “Hey. I think it’s time to head back. It’s getting late, and Shinji has school tomorrow. So do you, Ms. ‘Misato-sensei.’” Kaji said, mocking the voice inflection that Misato had used earlier. “Oh, hush.” She said to him, giving a light giggle. 

“Misato?” Shinji asked. "What is it?" “I need your help. There’s this girl I like, but Toji makes fun of me for liking her. She’s kind of like me. Isolated, and alone. I want to talk to her, and make her feel happy, but I don’t know if I’m doing it to genuinely make her happy, or because I want her to like me back…” Misato put her hand on his shoulder. “Well, Shinji. I’m sure when you talk to her, she’ll like you. But you’re not the kind of person to do stuff for your own gain. You’re selfless. You’re sweet. You’re caring. I know you wouldn’t do anything like that.” Shinji smiled. “Thanks, Misato. I’ll talk to her.”

The three walked back to Shinji’s house. When they reached the door, Misato gave Shinji a hug, and said, “I love you, Shinji. Goodnight. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” Shinji hugged her back. “Y’know, Shinji.” Said Kaji, “A famous person once said, ‘It’s okay to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something really brave.’ When lion tamers tame lions, they're scared, too. But they are brave standing up to something that could potentially kill them. Your problem here is not going to kill you if you mess up. Yes, it might hurt, but in the end you can get over it. You can’t get over death. So just think, when you’re scared, you’re going to do something brave.” Shinji smiled. “Thanks, Kaji.”

The two left the house, and walked home. Shinji jumped in his bed, and covered up, looking at the ceiling with a brow furrowed with determination. “I’m brave. I’m not useless. I can do it!” he thought. While he thought of all the things he could do, and how he was going to be brave and fight the dragon that was Rei’s loneliness, he fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I am writing with a friend of mine, who you can find under the username Xilverknight on deviantART, that we came up with during a conversation on the phone. The system we have is that one of us will write a chapter, then the other will write the next.
> 
> Since it doesn't take all of my attention, this shouldn't stop me from working on Evangelion + Homestuck in any way. No, the only thing that will stop that fic and this fic from updating at a quick rate is my physically exhausting job at a gym my family owns.


End file.
